Low cost extrudable isolator from slit-tape

ABSTRACT

A dielectric isolator for a twisted pair cable includes a body formed as an elongate strip with a top surface, bottom surface, a first side edge and a second side edge. A first slot is formed in the first side edge and extends at least half way toward the center of the isolator. A second slot is formed in the second side edge and extends at least half way toward the center of the isolator. During cable manufacturing, first and second wedges open the first and second slots. First and second twisted pairs are inserted into the first and second opened slots, respectively. Third and fourth twisted pairs reside at the top and bottom surface, respectively. The isolator has the cost and reel storage savings of a flat separator tape, while simultaneously providing the internal crosstalk performance of the isolator.

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.17/163,391, filed Jan. 30, 2021, which is a continuation-in-part ofInternational Application No. PCT/US2020/025774, filed Mar. 30, 2020,which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/830,975,filed Apr. 8, 2019, all of which are herein incorporated by reference.U.S. application Ser. No. 17/163,391, filed Jan. 30, 2021, is also acontinuation-in-part of U.S. Utility application Ser. No. 17/156,571,filed Jan. 23, 2021, which is a continuation of InternationalApplication No. PCT/US2019/040022, filed Jun. 29, 2019, which claims thebenefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/712,939, filed Jul. 31,2018, all of which are herein incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a twisted pair cable for communicationof high speed signals, such as a local area network (LAN) cable. Moreparticularly, the present invention relates to a twisted pair cablehaving an isolator between twisted pairs within the cable, whichisolator separates each of the twisted pairs from the other twistedpairs of the cable, and wherein the isolator is initially formed as arelatively flat member, e.g., a tape with slits in its thickness.

2. Description of the Related Art

Along with the greatly increased use of computers for homes and offices,there has developed a need for a cable, which may be used to connectperipheral equipment to computers and to connect plural computers andperipheral equipment into a common network. Today's computers andperipherals operate at ever increasing data transmission rates.Therefore, there is a continuing need to develop a cable, which canoperate substantially error-free at higher bit rates, by satisfyingnumerous elevated operational performance criteria, such as a reductionin internal and alien crosstalk when the cable is in a high cabledensity application. e.g. routed alongside other cables.

FIGS. 1 and 2 show a typical shielded twisted pair cable 1 and atwisting scheme employed for the four twisted pairs of wires (a firsttwisted pair A, a second twisted pair B, a third twisted pair C and afourth twisted pair D). A dielectric isolator 3 separates twisted pair Afrom twisted pairs B, C and D, separates twisted pair B from twistedpairs C and D, and also separates twisted pair C from twisted pair D.The isolator 3 may also be referred to as a flute, star-shaped separatoror plus-shaped separator.

The twisted pairs A, B, C and D in combination with the isolator 3 maybe twisted in the direction of arrow 5 (e.g., opposite to the twistdirection of the twisted pairs A, B, C and D) to form a stranded core.The stranded core is surrounded by a shielding layer 7. The shieldinglayer 7 may be formed of a conductive foil, and the foil's edges maypartially overlap at area 9. A dielectric outer jacket 11 then surroundsthe shielding layer 7.

Each twisted pair A, B, C and D includes two insulated conductors.Specifically, the first twisted pair A includes a first insulatedconductor 13 and a second insulated conductor 15. The second twistedpair B includes a third insulated conductor 17 and a fourth insulatedconductor 19. The third twisted pair C includes a fifth insulatedconductor 21 and a sixth insulated conductor 23. The fourth twisted pairD includes a seventh insulated conductor 25 and an eighth insulatedconductor 27.

Each twisted pair A, B, C and D is formed by having its two insulatedconductors continuously twisted around each other. For the first twistedpair A, the first conductor 13 and the second conductor 15 twistcompletely about each other, three hundred sixty degrees (a), at a firstinterval w along the length of the cable 1. For the second twisted pairB, the third conductor 17 and the fourth conductor 19 twist completelyabout each other, three hundred sixty degrees (b), at a second intervalx along the length of the cable 1. For the third twisted pair C, thefifth conductor 21 and the sixth conductor 23 twist completely abouteach other, three hundred sixty degrees (c), at a third interval y alongthe length of the cable 1. For the fourth twisted pair D, the seventhconductor 25 and the eighth conductor 27 twist completely about eachother, three hundred sixty degrees (d), at a fourth interval z along thelength of the cable 1.

Each of the twisted pairs A, B, C and D has a fixed twist interval w, x,y, z, respectively. Each of the twist intervals w, x, y, z is differentfrom the twist interval of the other twisted pairs. As is known in theart, such an arrangement assists in reducing crosstalk between thetwisted pairs within the cable 1, which is referred to as internalcrosstalk. In one embodiment of the prior art, each of the twisted pairsA, B, C and D has a unique fixed twist interval of slightly more than,or less than, 0.500 inches. Table 1 below summarizes the twist intervalranges for the twisted pairs A, B, C and D.

TABLE 1 Min. Max Twisted Twist Twist Twist Pair Length Length Length A0.440 0.430 0.450 B 0.410 0.400 0.420 C 0.596 0.580 0.610 D 0.670 0.6500.690

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The Applicant has appreciated that the isolator 3 is a rather costlyelement of the cable core. Also, the isolator 3 is an extruded elementwith four projecting fins, and does not wind well on a reel, e.g., lotsof air gaps exist in the wound up isolator 3. Therefore, a shorterlength of isolator 3 can wound onto a reel of a given size.

An extruded flat separator tape is relatively cheaper than a plus-shapedisolator 3. Also, the extruded flat separator tape winds up nicely on areel with much less air gaps. Therefore, a significantly longer flatseparator tape can exist on reel of the same given size.

However, there are significant drawbacks for a flat separator tape. Aflat separator tape only separates two of the twisted pairs from theother two twisted pairs, e.g., twisted pairs A and C from twisted pairsB and D. Therefore, the flat separator tape is inferior in reducinginternal crosstalk, as compared to the isolator 3 of FIGS. 1 and 2.

The Applicant has invented a new isolator which may be extruded as aflat tape with slits formed in its thickness. Alternatively, the newisolator may be extruded as a flat tape and slits may be formed in thethickness of the tape by a cutting operation. In a preferred embodiment,two slits are formed into the thickness of the new separator, one oneach lateral side of the new isolator. The new isolator may be wound ona reel in the same manner as a conventional flat separator tape. Hence,the new isolator does not include lots of air within the windings on thereel, and a longer new isolator may be wound on the reel of the samegiven size, as compared to the old isolator 3 of FIGS. 1-2.

As a cable is being manufacturing the new isolator is fed from the reelto a cable assembly area. Within the cable assembly area, wedges openthe slits. A first twisted pair is inserted into a first of the openedwedges, a second twisted pair is inserted into a second of the openslits, a third twisted pair is placed on top of the new isolator, and afourth twisted pair is place beneath the new isolator. Next, an optionalshielding layer or core wrap encircles the cable core, and finally anouter jacket is extruded over the cable core.

The present invention provides the cost savings and storage savings of aflat separator tape, while simultaneously providing the internalcrosstalk performance of the isolator 3.

These and other objects are accomplished by an isolator for a twistedpair cable comprising: a body formed as an elongate strip with a topsurface and a bottom surface, with a distance between said top andbottom surfaces defining a thickness of said isolator; a first side edgeand a second side edge formed on said body, with a distance between saidfirst and second side edges defining a width of said isolator; a firstslot formed in said first side edge and extending into said body in adirection of said width of said isolator; and a second slot formed insaid second side edge and extending into said body in a direction ofsaid width of said isolator.

Moreover, these and other objects are accomplished by a method offorming a twisted pair cable comprising: providing an isolatorincluding: a body formed as an elongate strip with a top surface and abottom surface, with a distance between the top and bottom surfacesdefining a thickness of the isolator; a first side edge and a secondside edge formed on the body, with a distance between the first andsecond side edges defining a width of the isolator; a first slot formedin the first side edge and extending into the body in a direction of thewidth of the isolator; and a second slot formed in the second side edgeand extending into the body in a direction of the width of the isolator;feeding first, second, third and fourth twisted pairs to a cableassembly area; feeding the isolator to the cable assembly area;inserting a first wedge into the first slot and opening the first slotas the isolator passes through the cable assembly area; inserting asecond wedge into the second slot and opening the second slot as theisolator passes through the cable assembly area; placing the firsttwisted pair into the opened first slot of the isolator; placing thesecond twisted pair adjacent to the top surface of the isolator; placingthe third twisted pair into the opened second slot of the isolator;placing the fourth twisted pair adjacent to the bottom surface of theisolator; and extruding an outer jacket over the isolator and the first,second, third and fourth twisted pairs.

Furthermore, these and other objects are accomplished by a cablecomprising: a first conductor; a first insulating material surroundingsaid first conductor to form a first insulated conductor; a secondconductor; and a second insulating material surrounding said secondconductor to form a second insulated conductor, wherein said first andsecond insulated conductors are twisted about each other to form a firsttwisted pair; a third conductor; a third insulating material surroundingsaid third conductor to form a third insulated conductor; a fourthconductor; and a fourth insulating material surrounding said fourthconductor to form a fourth insulated conductor, wherein said third andfourth insulated conductors are twisted about each other to form asecond twisted pair; a fifth conductor; a fifth insulating materialsurrounding said fifth conductor to form a fifth insulated conductor; asixth conductor; and a sixth insulating material surrounding said sixthconductor to form a sixth insulated conductor, wherein said fifth andsixth insulated conductors are twisted about each other to form a thirdtwisted pair; a seventh conductor; a seventh insulating materialsurrounding said seventh conductor to form a seventh insulatedconductor; an eighth conductor; and an eighth insulating materialsurrounding said eighth conductor to form an eighth insulated conductor,wherein said seventh and eighth insulated conductors are twisted abouteach other to form a fourth twisted pair; an isolator separating saidfirst twisted pair from said second, third and fourth twisted pairs,separating said second twisted pair from said third and fourth twistedpairs, and also separating said third twisted pair from said fourthtwisted pair, wherein said isolator has a closed first notch formed on atop surface thereof and said first twisted pair abutting said topsurface, and a closed second notch on a bottom surface thereof and saidthird twisted pair abutting said bottom surface; and a jacketsurrounding said isolator, said first, second, third and fourth twistedpairs.

Further scope of applicability of the present invention will becomeapparent from the detailed description given hereinafter. However, itshould be understood that the detailed description and specificexamples, while indicating preferred embodiments of the invention, aregiven by way of illustration only, since various changes andmodifications within the spirit and scope of the invention will becomeapparent to those skilled in the art from this detailed description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention will become more fully understood from thedetailed description given hereinbelow and the accompanying drawingswhich are given by way of illustration only, and thus, are not limits ofthe present invention, and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a shielded, twisted pair cable, inaccordance with the prior art;

FIG. 2 is a cross sectional view taken along line II-II in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a reel of isolator, in accordance with afirst embodiment of the present invention, being fed to a cable assemblyunit;

FIG. 4 is a cross sectional view of the isolator taken along line IV-IVin FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a cross sectional view of the isolator of FIG. 4 after passingthrough the cable assembly unit;

FIG. 6 is a block diagram of a machine to produce a twisted pair cableusing the isolator of FIGS. 3-5;

FIG. 6A is a close-up perspective view of the interaction of first andsecond wedges with the isolator of FIGS. 3-5;

FIG. 7 is a cross sectional view of a second embodiment of an isolatorsimilar to FIG. 3;

FIG. 8 is a cross sectional view of the isolator of FIG. 7 after passingthrough the cable assembly unit;

FIG. 9 is a cross sectional view of a third embodiment of an isolatorsimilar to FIG. 3;

FIG. 10 is a cross sectional view of the isolator of FIG. 9 afterpassing through the cable assembly unit;

FIG. 11 is a cross sectional view of a fourth embodiment of an isolatorsimilar to FIG. 3;

FIG. 12 is a cross sectional view of the isolator of FIG. 11 afterpassing through the cable assembly unit;

FIG. 13 is a cross sectional view of a twisted pair cable, having theisolator of FIGS. 11-12;

FIG. 14 is a block diagram of a machine to produce a sheet of isolatorsin accordance with FIGS. 11-12;

FIG. 15 is a close-up view of a circled portion XV in FIG. 14 showingthe details of an extrusion die; and

FIG. 16 is a perspective view of a portion of a sheet of isolatorsproduced by the portion XV of the extrusion die illustrated in FIG. 15.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

The present invention now is described more fully hereinafter withreference to the accompanying drawings, in which embodiments of theinvention are shown. This invention may, however, be embodied in manydifferent forms and should not be construed as limited to theembodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided sothat this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fullyconvey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art.

Like numbers refer to like elements throughout. In the figures, thethickness of certain lines, layers, components, elements or features maybe exaggerated for clarity. Broken lines illustrate optional features oroperations unless specified otherwise.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particularembodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention.Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientificterms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by oneof ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. It will befurther understood that terms, such as those defined in commonly useddictionaries, should be interpreted as having a meaning that isconsistent with their meaning in the context of the specification andrelevant art and should not be interpreted in an idealized or overlyformal sense unless expressly so defined herein. Well-known functions orconstructions may not be described in detail for brevity and/or clarity.

As used herein, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” are intended toinclude the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicatesotherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises”and/or “comprising,” when used in this specification, specify thepresence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements,and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of oneor more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements,components, and/or groups thereof. As used herein, the term “and/or”includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associatedlisted items. As used herein, phrases such as “between X and Y” and“between about X and Y” should be interpreted to include X and Y. Asused herein, phrases such as “between about X and Y” mean “between aboutX and about Y.” As used herein, phrases such as “from about X to Y” mean“from about X to about Y.”

It will be understood that when an element is referred to as being “on”,“attached” to, “connected” to, “coupled” with, “contacting”, etc.,another element, it can be directly on, attached to, connected to,coupled with or contacting the other element or intervening elements mayalso be present. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being,for example, “directly on”, “directly attached” to, “directly connected”to, “directly coupled” with or “directly contacting” another element,there are no intervening elements present. It will also be appreciatedby those of skill in the art that references to a structure or featurethat is disposed “adjacent” another feature may have portions thatoverlap or underlie the adjacent feature.

Spatially relative terms, such as “under”, “below”, “lower”, “over”,“upper”, “lateral”, “left”, “right” and the like, may be used herein forease of description to describe one element or feature's relationship toanother element(s) or feature(s) as illustrated in the figures. It willbe understood that the spatially relative terms are intended toencompass different orientations of the device in use or operation inaddition to the orientation depicted in the figures. For example, if thedevice in the figures is inverted, elements described as “under” or“beneath” other elements or features would then be oriented “over” theother elements or features. The device may be otherwise oriented(rotated 90 degrees or at other orientations) and the descriptors ofrelative spatial relationships used herein interpreted accordingly.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a spool or reel 31 of wound isolator 33A,in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention. Theisolator 33A is being fed to a cable assembly area 35 and may pass overone or more powered or idler pulleys or rollers 37. More descriptionregarding the cable assembly area 35 will be given in relation to FIG.6.

FIG. 4 is a cross sectional view of the isolator 33A taken along lineIV-IV in FIG. 3. The isolator 33A includes a body 39 formed as anelongate strip with a top surface 41 and a bottom surface 43. A firstdistance D1 exists between the top surface 41 and the bottom surface 43,and defines a thickness of the body 39. A first side edge 45 and asecond side edge 47 are formed on the body 39. A second distance D2exists between the first side edge 45 and the second side edge 47 anddefines a width of the body 39.

A first slot 49 is formed in the first side edge 45. The first slot 49extends into the body 39 in a direction of the width of the body 39.More particularly, the first slot 49 extends toward a center 53 of theisolator 33A, parallel to the top and bottom surfaces 41 and 43. Thecenter 53 extends along a central axis or longitudinal axis of theisolator 33A, which runs along the length of the isolator 33A. The firstslot 49 extends into the body 39 at least halfway to the center 53 ofthe isolator 33A, e.g., more than 75% of the way, such as about 85% ofthe way to the center 53, and extends along the entire length of theisolator 33A. The first slot 49 creates first and second legs 55 and 57.

A second slot 51 is formed in the second side edge 47. The second slot51 extends into the body 39 in a direction of the width of the body 39.More particularly, the second slot 51 extends toward the center 53 ofthe isolator 33A, parallel to the top and bottom surfaces 41 and 43. Thesecond slot 51 extends into the body 39 at least halfway to the center53 of the isolator 33A, e.g., more than 75% of the way, such as about85% of the way to the center 53, and extends along the entire length ofthe isolator 33A. The second slot 51 creates third and fourth legs 59and 61.

In a preferred embodiment, the body 39 is formed of a dielectricmaterial. For example, the body 39 may be formed of a solid or foamedpolyethylene (PE) or a solid or foamed fluorinated ethylene-propylene(FEP), where foamed implies the purposeful introduction of gas bubbles,such as air bubbles, into the material to decrease the overalldielectric constant of the isolator 33A. Of course, other materials mayalso be suitable for the body 39 of the isolator 33A, such as anyextrudable polymer including polypropylene (PP), polyethyleneterephthalate (PET), polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF), ethylenechlorotrifluoroethylene (ECTFE), flame retardant PE, flame-retardant PPand other filled or unfilled polyolefins.

For plenum-rated cables, the isolator 3 of the prior art (FIGS. 1 and 2)is typically formed of FEP due to its superior properties relating tofire and smoke suppression. Unfortunately, FEP is an expensive material.Therefore, a preferred material composition for the body 39 of thepresent invention is a filled polyolefin. The fill material may includeone or more fire retardants, such as ammonium octamolybdate (AOM), ormicroencapsulated AOM, as detailed in the present Assignee's pendingapplication serial number PCT/US2020/031490, which is hereinincorporated by reference. Other suitable fire retardant materials couldinclude calcium carbonate, clay, metal hydroxide, mica, red phosphorus,silica, talc and zinc borate (sold under the trademark FIRE BRAKE). Inone embodiment, the fill material may also include glass beads,sometimes referred to as glass microspheres. Such glass beads are hollowand include air therein, which can reduce the dielectric constant of thepolyolefin material, as well as reduce the amount of polyolefin materialavailable to burn.

In a preferred embodiment, the thickness, indicated by the distance D1,is between 9 to 18 mils, such as between 10 to 15 mils, or about 12mils. The width, indicated by the distance D2, is between 90 to 130mils, such as between 100 to 120 mills, or about 110 mils. The distancesD1 and D2 illustrate that the thickness of the first slot 49, which isthe same or similar to the thickness of the second slot 51, is too smallto accept an insulated conductor, e.g., the first insulated conductor13, and hence too small to accept a twisted pair, e.g., the firsttwisted pair A. The first slot 49 must be opened to be large enough toaccept a twisted pair, as will be further explain herein.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram of a machine 63 used to produce a twisted paircable 65 using the isolator 33A of FIGS. 3-5. In addition to theelements of FIG. 3, the machine 63 includes a first spool 67 containingthe first twisted pair A, a second spool 69 containing the secondtwisted pair B, a third spool 71 containing the third twisted pair C,and a fourth spool 73 containing the fourth twisted pair D.

During the formation of the twisted pair cable 65, the first, second,third and fourth twisted pairs A, B, C and D are fed to the cableassembly area 35, along with the isolator 33A. As best seen in theclose-up view of FIG. 6A, as the isolator 33A enters the cable assemblyarea 35, a first wedge 75 is inserted into the first slot 49 and opensthe first slot 49 as the isolator 33A passes through the cable assemblyarea 35. A separate, second wedge 77 is located adjacent to the secondside edge 47 of the isolator 33A. The second wedge 77 is inserted intothe second slot 51 and opens the second slot 51 as the isolator 33Apasses through the cable assembly area 35.

The isolator 33A obtains the configuration shown in FIG. 5 due to thefirst and second wedges 75 and 77 opening the first and second slots 49and 51. In other words, the portions of the isolator 33A to the rightside (upstream) of the first and second wedges 75 and 77 in FIG. 6A havethe cross section of FIG. 4, and the portions of the isolator 33A to theleft side (downstream) of the first and second wedges 75 and 77 in FIG.6A have the cross section of FIG. 5. The body 39 of the isolator 33Achanges and may undergo permanent elastic deformations, such ascompressions and elongations as the first and second wedges 75 and 77open the first and second slots 49 and 51. In other words, the materialforming the body 39 of the isolator 33A has a low resiliency and tendsto maintain the shape deformations, as shown in FIG. 5. Also, thematerial forming the body 39 of the isolator 33A may have a lowcompressive strength, which means that the isolator 33A can easily bedeformed/crushed along its long axis to simplify the connectorizationprocess for certain connector designs.

As best seen in FIG. 5, the angle between the first and second legs 55and 57 is approximately ninety degrees, and the angle between the thirdand fourth legs 59 and 61 is approximately ninety degrees. Opening thefirst and second slots 49 and 51 results in a first bow 41A in the topsurface 41 so that an angle between the first and third legs 55 and 59changes from one hundred eighty degrees to approximately ninety degrees.Also, opening the first and second slots 49 and 51 results in a secondbow 43A in the bottom surface 43 so that an angle between the second andfourth legs 57 and 61 changes from one hundred eighty degrees toapproximately ninety degrees.

Within the cable assembly area 35, the first twisted pair A is placedinto the opened first slot 49, the second twisted pair B is placedadjacent to the top surface 41 in the first bow 41A, the third twistedpair C is placed into the opened second slot 51, and the fourth twistedpair D is placed adjacent to the bottom surface 43 in the second bow43A. Preferably, the cable assembly area 35 imposes a twist to theassembled isolator 33A and first, second, third and fourth twisted pairsA, B, C and D to form a twisted core 79.

The twisted core 79 may be fed to a shielding unit 81. The shieldinglayer 7 is fed from a spool 83 into the shielding unit 81. Within theshielding unit 81, the shielding layer 7 is wrapped around and surroundsthe twisted core 79. The shielding layer 7 may also include the overlap9, as shown in FIGS. 1-2 so as to form a shielded twisted core 85. Theshielding layer 7 may be formed of a conductive layer on a nonconductivelayer. One suitable material for the conductive layer is aluminum foil,although other materials may be selected. One suitable material for thenonconductive layer is a polyester film or biaxially-orientedpolyethylene terephthalate, e.g., Mylar®.

The shielded twisted core 85 is fed to an extruder 87. Within theextruder 87, the outer jacket 11 is extruded over the isolator 33A, thefirst, second, third and fourth twisted pairs A, B, C and D, and theshielding layer 7 to form the twisted pair cable 65. The outer jacket 11may be formed of polyvinylchloride (PVC), low smoke zero halogen,polyethylene (PE), fluorinated ethylene propylene (FEP), polyvinylidenefluoride (PVDF), ethylene chlorotrifluoroethylene (ECTFE), or otherfoamed or solid polyolefin materials common to the cabling art. Thepolyolefin materials may also include fill materials. The fill materialsmay include one or more fire retardants, such as ammonium octamolybdate(AOM), or microencapsulated AOM, as detailed in the Assignee's pendingapplication serial number PCT/US2020/031490, which is hereinincorporated by reference. Other suitable fire retardant materials couldinclude calcium carbonate, clay, metal hydroxide, mica, red phosphorus,silica, talc and zinc borate (sold under the trademark FIRE BRAKE). Inone embodiment, the fill materials may also include glass beads,sometimes referred to as glass microspheres. Such glass beads are hollowand include air therein, which can reduce the dielectric constant of thepolyolefin material, as well as reduce the amount of polyolefin materialavailable to burn.

The twisted pair cable 65 is typically passed through a cool water bath88 to solidify the outer jacket 11, and then accumulated onto a spool89. The machinery to manufacture the twisted pair cable 65 is basicallyknown in the art except for the first and second wedges 75 and 77, whichopen the first and second slots 49 and 51.

FIG. 7 is a cross sectional view of an isolator 33B, in accordance witha second embodiment. The isolator 33B includes a body 39B formed as anelongate strip with a top surface 41B and a bottom surface 43B. A firstdistance D3 exists between the top surface 41B and the bottom surface43B, and defines a thickness of the body 39B. A first side edge 45B anda second side edge 47B are formed on the body 39B. A second distance D4exists between the first side edge 45B and the second side edge 47B anddefines a width of the body 39B.

A first slot 49B is formed in the first side edge 45B. The first slot49B extends into the body 39B in a direction of the width of the body39B. More particularly, the first slot 49B extends toward a center 53Bof the isolator 33B, parallel to the top and bottom surfaces 41B and43B. The first slot 49B extends into the body 39B at least halfway tothe center 53B of the isolator 33B, e.g., more than 75% of the way, suchas about 85% of the way to the center 53B, and extends along the entirelength of the isolator 33B. The first slot 49B creates first and secondlegs 55B and 57B.

A second slot 51B is formed in the second side edge 47B. The second slot51B extends into the body 39B in a direction of the width of the body39B. More particularly, the second slot 51B extends toward the center53B of the isolator 33B, parallel to the top and bottom surfaces 41B and43B. The second slot 51B extends into the body 39B at least halfway tothe center 53B of the isolator 33B, e.g., more than 75% of the way, suchas about 85% of the way to the center 53B, and extends along the entirelength of the isolator 33B. The second slot 51B creates third and fourthlegs 59B and 61B.

The distances D3 and D4 may be approximately within the same rangesmentioned above for the distances D1 and D2, respectively. Also, thematerial used for the body 39B may be the same material used for thebody 39. The primary difference between the embodiment of FIG. 7 and theembodiment of FIG. 4 is that top surface 41B is formed by first andsecond planar surfaces 91 and 93 and includes a first step 95 betweenthe first and second planar surfaces 91 and 93. Further, the bottomsurface 43B is formed by third and fourth planar surfaces 97 and 99 andincludes a second step 101 between the third and fourth planar surfaces97 and 99.

The first and second steps 95 and 101 provide natural bend points whenthe first and second slots 49B and 51B are opened by the first andsecond wedges 75 and 77. As such, the gradual curves of the first andsecond bows 41A and 43A in FIG. 5 tend to be reduced toward more angularbends, like the ninety degree angles 103 and 105 illustrated in FIG. 8,after the opening of the first and second slots 49 and 51. However, FIG.8 still illustrates elongation deformations in the areas 107 and 109 asthe isolator 33B is opened by the first and second wedges 75 and 77. Theisolator 33B of FIGS. 7 and 8 may be used in conjunction with themachine 63 of FIG. 6 to form a twisted pair cable 65B.

FIG. 9 is a cross sectional view of an isolator 33C, in accordance witha third embodiment. The isolator 33C includes a body 39C formed as anelongate strip with a top surface 41C and a bottom surface 43C. Thefirst distance D1 exists between the top surface 41C and the bottomsurface 43C, and defines a thickness of the body 39C. A first side edge45C and a second side edge 47C are formed on the body 39C. The seconddistance D2 exists between the first side edge 45C and the second sideedge 47C and defines a width of the body 39C.

A first slot 49C is formed in the first side edge 45C. The first slot49C extends into the body 39C in a direction of the width of the body39C. More particularly, the first slot 49C extends toward a center 53Cof the isolator 33C, parallel to the top and bottom surfaces 41C and43C. The first slot 49C extends into the body 39C at least halfway tothe center 53C of the isolator 33C, e.g., more than 75% of the way, suchas about 85% of the way to the center 53C, and extends along the entirelength of the isolator 33C. The first slot 49C creates first and secondlegs 55C and 57C.

A second slot 51C is formed in the second side edge 47C. The second slot51C extends into the body 39C in a direction of the width of the body39C. More particularly, the second slot 51C extends toward the center53C of the isolator 33C, parallel to the top and bottom surfaces 41C and43C. The second slot 51C extends into the body 39C at least halfway tothe center 53C of the isolator 33C, e.g., more than 75% of the way, suchas about 85% of the way to the center 53C, and extends along the entirelength of the isolator 33C. The second slot 51C creates third and fourthlegs 59C and 61C.

The material used for the body 39C may be the same material used for thebody 39. The primary difference between the embodiment of FIG. 9 and theembodiment of FIG. 4 is that top surface 41C includes a first recessedarea 107, proximate a mid-point between the first side edge 45C and thesecond side edge 47C, and the bottom surface 43C includes a secondrecessed area 109, proximate a mid-point between the first side edge 45Cand the second side edge 47C.

In the illustrated embodiment, the first recessed area 107 is a firstv-shaped notch, and the second recessed area 109 is a second v-shapednotch. The first v-shaped notch is formed by a first slant surface 111intersecting with a second slant surface 113, wherein said first andsecond slant surfaces 111 and 113 meet at approximately a forty-fivedegree angle. The second v-shaped notch is formed by a third slantsurface 115 intersecting with a fourth slant surface 117, wherein thethird and fourth slant surfaces 115 and 117 meet at approximately aforty-five degree angle.

The first and second v-shaped notches provide natural bend points whenthe first and second slots 49C and 51C are opened by the first andsecond wedges 75 and 77. As such, the elongations and compressions ofthe material forming the body 39C are reduced, after the opening of thefirst and second slots 49C and 51C, as best seen in FIG. 10. Theisolator 33C of FIGS. 9 and 10 may be used in conjunction with themachine 63 of FIG. 6 to form a twisted pair cable 65C.

FIG. 11 is a cross sectional view of an isolator 33D, in accordance witha fourth embodiment. The isolator 33D includes a body 39D formed as anelongate strip with a top surface 41D and a bottom surface 43D. Thefirst distance D1 exists between the top surface 41D and the bottomsurface 43D, and defines a thickness of the body 39D. A first side edge45D and a second side edge 47D are formed on the body 39D. The seconddistance D2 exists between the first side edge 45D and the second sideedge 47D and defines a width of the body 39D.

A first slot 49D is formed in the first side edge 45D. The first slot49D extends into the body 39D in a direction of the width of the body39D. More particularly, the first slot 49D extends toward a center 53Dof the isolator 33D, parallel to the top and bottom surfaces 41D and43D. The first slot 49D extends into the body 39D at least halfway tothe center 53D of the isolator 33D, e.g., more than 75% of the way, suchas about 85% of the way to the center 53D, and extends along the entirelength of the isolator 33D. The first slot 49D creates first and secondlegs 55D and 57D.

A second slot 51D is formed in the second side edge 47D. The second slot51D extends into the body 39D in a direction of the width of the body39D. More particularly, the second slot 51D extends toward the center53D of the isolator 33D, parallel to the top and bottom surfaces 41D and43D. The second slot 51D extends into the body 39D at least halfway tothe center 53D of the isolator 33D, e.g., more than 75% of the way, suchas about 85% of the way to the center 53D, and extends along the entirelength of the isolator 33D. The second slot 51D creates third and fourthlegs 59D and 61D.

The material used for the body 39D may be the same material used for thebody 39. The primary difference between the embodiment of FIG. 11 andthe embodiment of FIG. 4 is that top surface 41D includes a firstrecessed area 119, proximate a mid-point between the first side edge 45Dand the second side edge 47D, and the bottom surface 43D includes asecond recessed area 121, proximate a mid-point between the first sideedge 45D and the second side edge 47D.

In the illustrated embodiment, the first recessed area 119 is a firstv-shaped notch, and the second recessed area 121 is a second v-shapednotch. The first v-shaped notch is formed by a first slant surface 123intersecting with a second slant surface 125, wherein said first andsecond slant surfaces 123 and 125 meet at approximately a ninety degreeangle. The second v-shaped notch is formed by a third slant surface 127intersecting with a fourth slant surface 129, wherein the third andfourth slant surfaces 127 and 129 meet at approximately a ninety degreeangle.

The first and second v-shaped notches provide natural bend points whenthe first and second slots 49D and 51D are opened by the first andsecond wedges 75 and 77. As such, the elongations and compressions ofthe material forming the body 39D are reduced, after the opening of thefirst and second slots 49D and 51D, as best seen in FIG. 12. As alsoseen in FIG. 12, the angle between the first and third legs 55D and 59Dis approximately ninety degrees, and the angle between the second andfourth legs 57D and 61D is approximately ninety degrees. Likewise, theangle between the first and second legs 55D and 57D is approximatelyninety degrees, and the angle between the third and fourth legs 59D and61D is approximately ninety degrees. The isolator 33D of FIGS. 11 and 12may be used in conjunction with the machine 63 of FIG. 6 to form atwisted pair cable 65D.

FIG. 13 is a cross sectional view of the twisted pair cable 65D. Thetwisted pair cable 65D includes a first twisted pair 131. The firsttwisted pair 131 includes a first insulated conductor 135 formed by afirst insulating material 135A surrounding a first conductor 135B, and asecond insulated conductor 137 formed by a second insulating material137A surrounding a second conductor 137B. The first and second insulatedconductors 135 and 137 are twisted about each other to form the firsttwisted pair 131.

A second twisted pair 139 includes a third insulated conductor 141formed by a third insulating material surrounding a third conductor, anda fourth insulated conductor 143 formed by a fourth insulating materialsurrounding a fourth conductor, wherein said third and fourth insulatedconductors 141 and 143 are twisted about each other to form the secondtwisted pair 139.

A third twisted pair 145 includes a fifth insulated conductor 147 formedby a fifth insulating material surrounding a fifth conductor, and asixth insulated conductor 149 formed by a sixth insulating materialsurrounding a sixth conductor, wherein the fifth and sixth insulatedconductors 147 and 149 are twisted about each other to form the thirdtwisted pair 145.

A fourth twisted pair 151 includes a seventh insulated conductor 153formed by a seventh insulating material surrounding a seventh conductor,and an eighth insulated conductor 155 formed by an eighth insulatingmaterial surrounding an eighth conductor, wherein the seventh and eighthinsulated conductors 153 and 155 are twisted about each other to formthe fourth twisted pair 151.

The twist lengths w, x, y and z of the first, second, third and fourthtwisted pairs 131, 139, 145 and 151 may be the same as listed in Table 1for twisted pairs A, B, C and D, respectively. For example, a firsttwist length w of the first twisted pair 131 may be shorter than a thirdtwist length y of the third twisted pair 145, and a second twist lengthx of the second twisted pair 139 may be shorter than a fourth twistlength z of the fourth twisted pair 151. It should be noted that othertwist lengths than those listed in Table 1 may be employed whilepracticing the benefits of the present invention.

The first through eighth insulating materials may be formed of aflexible plastic material having flame retardant and smoke suppressingproperties, such as a polymer or foamed polymer, common to the cablingart, like fluorinated ethylene propylene (FEP), polyethylene (PE) orpolypropylene (PP). For plenum-rated cables, the first through eighthinsulating materials of the prior art (FIGS. 1 and 2) are typicallyformed of FEP due to its superior properties relating to fire and smokesuppression. Unfortunately, FEP is an expensive material. Therefore, apreferred material composition for the first through eighth insulatingmaterials of the present invention is a filled polyolefin. The fillmaterials may include one or more fire retardants, such as ammoniumoctamolybdate (AOM), or microencapsulated AOM, as detailed in thepresent Assignee's pending application serial number PCT/US2020/031490.Other suitable fire retardant materials could include calcium carbonate,clay, metal hydroxide, mica, red phosphorus, silica, talc and zincborate (sold under the trademark FIRE BRAKE). In one embodiment, thefill material may also include glass beads, sometimes referred to asglass microspheres. Such glass beads are hollow and include air therein,which can reduce the dielectric constant of the polyolefin material, aswell as reduce the amount of polyolefin material available to burn.

The first through eighth insulating materials, as well as, the materialsused to form the isolator 33A, 33B, 33C, 33D and the dielectric outerjacket 11 may also be formed in accordance with the disclosure shown inthe Assignee's U.S. patent application Ser. No. 17/156,571, filed Jan.23, 2021 having the title HIGH STRENGTH DIELECTRIC MEMBER FOR ACOMMUNICATIONS CABLE, which is herein incorporated by reference. Inparticular, since the isolator 33A, 33B 33C, 33D will be subjected tohigh-speed cable assembly equipment, it would be advantageous to fillthe dielectric material with strength members, such as fire retardantparticles and to then subject the isolator 33A, 33B, 33C, 33D toelongation in one or more directions to create vacuum voids within theisolator 33A, 33B, 33C, 33D. For example, the isolator 33A, 33B 33C, 33Dcould include one or more of fillers of aluminum tri-hydrate (ATH),talc, magnesium hydroxide and glass beads, which would improve the burncharacteristics of the isolator 33A, 33B 33C, 33D, and in the case ofhollow glass beads, the dielectric constant of the isolator 33A, 33B33C, 33D.

Then, the isolator 33A, 33B 33C, 33D could be subjected to anelongation. Elongation of the isolator 33A, 33B 33C, 33D improves thestrength of the isolator, so that it may be fed at high speeds into thecable assembly area 35. When, the strength members/fillers are presentwithin the material of the isolator 33A, 33B 33C, 33D, vacuum voids arecreated during elongation. The vacuum voids improve both the burncharacteristics and the lower the dielectric constant of the isolator33A, 33B 33C, 33D. Additional details can be found in the Assignee'sU.S. patent application Ser. No. 17/156,571, filed Jan. 23, 2021.

A radial thickness of the first through eighth insulating materialswould typically be greater than seven mils, such as about tens mils orabout eleven mils. The first through eighth conductors may be solid orstranded, and may be formed of a conductive metal or alloy, such ascopper. In one embodiment, the first through eighth conductors are eacha solid, copper wire of about twenty three gauge size.

Similar to FIG. 1, the cable core of twisted pair cable 65D may betwisted in the direction of arrow 30 to form a core strand. In theillustrated embodiment, the direction 30 is opposite to the twistdirections of the first, second, third and fourth twisted pairs 131,139, 145 and 151 and may offer advantages as discussed in the Assignee'sU.S. Pat. No. 6,770,819, which is incorporated herein by reference.However, this is not a necessary feature, as the benefits of the presentinvention will still be apparent with the core strand's direction 30being the same as the pair twist directions.

The isolator 33D separates the first twisted pair 131 from said second,third and fourth twisted pairs 139, 145 and 151, separates said secondtwisted pair 139 from the third and fourth twisted pairs 145 and 151,and also separates the third twisted pair 145 from the fourth twistedpair 151. The isolator 33D has a closed first notch formed on the topsurface 41D thereof, and the first twisted pair 131 abuts the topsurface 41D. The isolator 33D also has a closed second notch on thebottom surface 43D thereof, and the third twisted pair 145 abuts thebottom surface 43D. The second twisted pair 139 resides in the openfourth slot 51D, and the fourth twisted pair 151 resides in the openfirst slot 49D.

The shielding layer 7 surrounds the isolator 33D and the first, second,third and fourth twisted pairs 131, 139, 145 and 151. The outer jacket11 surrounds the shielding layer 7, the isolator 33D, and the first,second, third and fourth twisted pairs 131, 139, 145 and 151. In all ofthe embodiments, the shielding layer 7 is optional and/or may be removedespecially if the cable is employed in an environment where aliencrosstalk is not problematic, e.g., the cable is not adjacent to othercables or sources emitting or susceptible to EMF. The alien crosstalkperformance in the above described twisted pair cables could be enhancedby employing a striated jacket, as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,796,046 andpublished U.S. Application 2005/0133246, both of which are hereinincorporated by reference. The alien crosstalk performance could befurther enhanced by employing twist modulation and/or core strandmodulation, as shown in the Assignee's U.S. Pat. No. 6,875,928, which isincorporated herein by reference.

FIG. 14 is a block diagram of one potential embodiment of a machine 161used to produce a sheet 163 of isolators 33D in accordance with FIGS.11-12. The machine 161 is an extruder 169 and receives pellets 165 froma hopper 167. The pellets may be formed from polyethylene or fluorinatedethylene-propylene (FEP) or other such materials. In a preferredembodiment, the pellets are not formed of FEP, but rather are formed ofa less expensive polyolefin material with embedded strength members,which are selected to also improve the burn characteristics of thepolyolefin material. The extruder 169 would heat the pellets 165 into aslurry. The slurry may be extruded with or without a foaming agentthrough an extrusion die 171. The sheet 163 of isolators 33D may passover one or more powered or idler rollers 162, then the sheet 162 willbe accumulated onto a reel 164. If desired, the one or more powered oridler rollers 162 may be speed controlled and/or spaced apart from eachother so as to pull and/or compress the sheet 162 and cause anelongation of the sheet 163 to create vacuum voids within the sheet 162,as previously mentioned and explained in more detail in the Assignee'sU.S. patent application Ser. No. 17/156,571, filed Jan. 23, 2021. Insuch a case, foaming agents may not be needed. Of course, the sheet 163of isolators 33D would preferably pass through a cooling device, likethe water bath 88 of FIG. 6 prior to being stored on the reel 164. Theconstruction of the machine 161 is basically in accordance with theknown machines for producing a sheet of separator “tapes,” except forthe construction of the extrusion die 171 and the aspects enablingelongation of the sheet 163.

FIG. 15 is a close-up view of a circled portion XV in FIG. 14 showingthe details of the extrusion die 171. The extrusion die hascomplimentary features to produce the features of the isolator 33D ofFIGS. 11-12. For example, the extrusion die 171 has “reversed” orcomplementary projections to produce the first and second slots 49D and51D, the first, second, third and forth legs 55D, 57D, 59D and 61D, andthe first and second recessed areas 119 and 121. In practice, the sheet163 of isolators 33D may include twenty to twenty-five isolators 33D ina side-by-side configuration.

FIG. 16 is a perspective view of a portion of the sheet 163 of isolators33D produced by the portion XV of the extrusion die 171. The representedportion of the sheet 163 of isolators 33D includes three isolators 33D,and portions of an isolator 33B on each of the left side and the rightside. Arrows 173 indicate the points where the sheet 163 of isolators33D is cut to form individual isolators 33D. The cutting is typicallyperformed by a blade or laser, as the sheet is driven past the blade orlaser, and the individual isolators 33D are accumulated onto separatorreels 31, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 6, to be shipped to customers, e.g.,cable manufacturers. As previously mentioned, the extrusion and thecutting processes may be performed in the same manner as previouslyperformed for the manufacturing of separator tapes, except for the shapeof the extrusion die 171. Also, it would be possible to replace theextrusion die 171 with a flat sheet extrusion die and to cut all of thefeatures of the isolator 33D (the first and second slots 49D and 51D andthe first and second recessed areas 119 and 121) into the isolators 33Dusing a blade or laser as the sheet 163 and/or the individual isolator33D is being driven past the blade or laser. Further, it would bepossible to extrude a first sheet including the top surface 41, 41B,41C, 41D and a separate, second sheet including the bottom surface 43,43B, 43C, 43D and then longitudinally fuse only a center section of thefacing, first and second sheets together so as to form the first andsecond slots 49 and 51 between the unfused, facing portions of the firstand second sheets.

The invention being thus described, it will be obvious that the same maybe varied in many ways. Such variations are not to be regarded as adeparture from the spirit and scope of the invention, and all suchmodifications as would be obvious to one skilled in the art are to beincluded within the scope of the following claims.

We claim:
 1. A method of forming a twisted pair cable comprising:providing an isolator including: a body formed as an elongate strip witha top surface and a bottom surface, with a distance between the top andbottom surfaces defining a thickness of the body; a first side edge anda second side edge formed on the body, with a distance between the firstand second side edges defining a width of the body; and a first slotformed in the first side edge and extending into the body in a directionof the width of the body; feeding the isolator to a cable assembly area;opening the first slot of the isolator in the cable assembly area;placing a first twisted pair into the opened first slot of the isolator;placing a second twisted pair adjacent to the top surface of theisolator; placing a third twisted pair adjacent to the bottom surface ofthe isolator; and covering the isolator and the first, second and thirdtwisted pairs with a jacket.
 2. The method according to claim 1, whereinsaid covering the isolator and the first, second and third twisted pairswith a jacket includes extruding the jacket onto the isolator and thefirst, second and third twisted pairs.
 3. The method according to claim2, wherein the isolator includes a second slot formed in the second sideedge and extending into the body in a direction of the width of thebody, and wherein said method further comprises: opening the second slotof the isolator in the cable assembly area; and placing a fourth twistedpair into the opened second slot of the isolator.
 4. The methodaccording to claim 1, further comprising: imposing a core twist to theisolator and the first, second and third twisted pairs prior to saidcovering the isolator and the first, second and third twisted pairs witha jacket.
 5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:surrounding the isolator and the first, second and third twisted pairswith a shielding layer prior to said covering the isolator and thefirst, second and third twisted pairs with a jacket.
 6. The methodaccording to claim 1, further comprising: imposing a core twist to theisolator and the first, second and third twisted pairs; and surroundingthe isolator and the first, second and third twisted pairs with ashielding layer prior to said covering the isolator and the first,second and third twisted pairs with a jacket.
 7. A method of forming atwisted pair cable comprising: providing an isolator including: a bodyformed as an elongate strip with a top surface and a bottom surface,with a distance between the top and bottom surfaces defining a thicknessof the body; and a first side edge and a second side edge formed on thebody, with a distance between the first and second side edges defining awidth of the body; feeding the isolator to a cable assembly area;cutting a first slot into the first side edge, which extends into thebody in a direction of the width of the body; opening the first slot ofthe isolator in the cable assembly area; placing a first twisted pairinto the opened first slot of the isolator; placing a second twistedpair adjacent to the top surface of the isolator; placing a thirdtwisted pair adjacent to the bottom surface of the isolator; andcovering the isolator and the first, second and third twisted pairs witha jacket.
 8. The method according to claim 7, further comprising:cutting a second slot into in the second side edge, which extends intothe body in a direction of the width of the body; opening the secondslot of the isolator in the cable assembly area; and placing a fourthtwisted pair into the opened second slot of the isolator.
 9. The methodaccording to claim 8, wherein said covering the isolator and the twistedpairs with a jacket includes extruding the jacket onto the isolator andthe twisted pairs.
 10. The method according to claim 8, furthercomprising: feeding the first, second, third and fourth twisted pairs tothe cable assembly area.
 11. The method according to claim 8, furthercomprising: imposing a core twist to the isolator and the first, second,third and fourth twisted pairs prior to said covering the isolator andthe twisted pairs with the jacket.
 12. The method according to claim 8,further comprising: surrounding the isolator and the first, second,third and fourth twisted pairs with a shielding layer prior to saidcovering the isolator and the twisted pairs with the jacket.
 13. Themethod according to claim 8, further comprising: imposing a core twistto the isolator and the first, second, third and fourth twisted pairs;and surrounding the isolator and the first, second, third and fourthtwisted pairs with a shielding layer prior to said covering the isolatorand the twisted pairs with the jacket.
 14. A method of forming a twistedpair cable comprising: providing an isolator including: a body formed asan elongate strip with a top surface and a bottom surface, with adistance between the top and bottom surfaces defining a thickness of thebody; a first side edge and a second side edge formed on the body, witha distance between the first and second side edges defining a width ofthe body; a first slot formed in the first side edge and extending intothe body in a direction of the width of the body; and a second slotformed in the second side edge and extending into the body in adirection of the width of the body; feeding the isolator to a cableassembly area; opening the first slot of the isolator in the cableassembly area; opening the second slot of the isolator in the cableassembly area; placing a first twisted pair into the opened first slotof the isolator; placing a second twisted pair adjacent to the topsurface of the isolator; placing a third twisted pair into the openedsecond slot of the isolator; placing a fourth twisted pair adjacent tothe bottom surface of the isolator; and covering the isolator and thefirst, second, third and fourth twisted pairs with a jacket.
 15. Themethod according to claim 14, further comprising: feeding the first,second, third and fourth twisted pairs to the cable assembly area. 16.The method according to claim 14, wherein said covering the isolator andthe first, second, third and fourth twisted pairs with a jacket includesextruding the jacket onto the isolator and the first, second, third andfourth twisted pairs.
 17. The method according to claim 16, furthercomprising: imposing a core twist to the isolator and the first, second,third and fourth twisted pairs prior to said extruding the jacket ontothe isolator and the first, second, third and fourth twisted pairs. 18.The method according to claim 16, further comprising: surrounding theisolator and the first, second, third and fourth twisted pairs with ashielding layer prior to said extruding the jacket onto the isolator andthe first, second, third and fourth twisted pairs.
 19. The methodaccording to claim 16, further comprising: surrounding the isolator andthe first, second, third and fourth twisted pairs with a core wrap priorto said extruding the jacket onto the isolator and the first, second,third and fourth twisted pairs.
 20. The method according to claim 16,further comprising: imposing a core twist to the isolator and the first,second, third and fourth twisted pairs; and surrounding the isolator andthe first, second, third and fourth twisted pairs with a shielding layerprior to said extruding the jacket onto the isolator and the first,second, third and fourth twisted pairs.